Esquimalt Siting: The McLoughlin Option
July 2010: Entering a New Phase for Wastewater Treatment
The Capital Regional District Core Area Liquid Waste Management Committee has selected a revised configuration for wastewater treatment which will be substantially less costly than previous system designs, and which will allow for continued resource recovery opportunities as well as future system flexibility. The system configuration will include a centralized, liquids only treatment facility at McLoughlin Point in Esquimalt.
July 2010 Public Engagement on the McLoughlin Site
The CRD is held two public engagement sessions in Esquimalt on July 6 and 8 to allow residents to learn about and comment on the McLoughlin Point wastewater facility.
Read the Esquimalt Brochure, which provides details on the McLoughlin Option. (PDF 
)
At the public engagement sessions, a comment form was available. If unable to attend a public open house, an online comment form was also available until the end of July 2010.
The McLoughlin Option System Details
- Facility Locations:
- Liquids only treatment plant at McLoughlin Point and effluent outfall
- Biosolids processing facility at the Hartland Landfill or another suitable location
- Underground storage tanks in Saanich East
- Upgraded grit capturing facilities and pumping stations at Clover Point and Macaulay Point
- Upgraded Craigflower pump station
- Cost: $782 million
- Annual Operating Costs: $14.5 million
- Annual Resource Recovery Revenues: $3.1 million by 2030
- Annual Carbon Offsets Potential: 18,500 tonnes from gas and heat recovered from wastewater
McLoughlin Option Renderings
CRD consultants have produced a series of renderings to show what a wastewater facility may look like at the McLoughlin site. Please click on the image to enlarge.
McLoughlin Rendering 1 (PDF ) McLoughlin Rendering 2 (PDF )
McLoughlin Rendering 3 (PDF ) McLoughlin Rendering 4 (PDF )
Why has the CRD adopted a centralized wastewater system?
The past three years of research have provided the CRD with time to adjust and alter the Core Area wastewater system configuration until the best scenario was found. This meant taking into account the triple bottom line environmental, social and economic concerns and adjusting the system until
all three were best accommodated.
Economic Concerns
With every amendment the CRD has submitted to the BC Minister of Environment, we have managed to reduce costs to the taxpayer, refine resource recovery opportunities and better accommodate the communities in which wastewater treatment facilities were considered. The reductions in costs are significant to taxpayers and will make the wastewater system far more sustainable for future generations. With the adoption of the McLoughlin Option, the largest reduction yet in cost has been made possible.
Social Concerns
Resident concern in siting a wastewater facility near neighbourhoods was noted at many public open
houses and by CRD consultants and peer review teams; this social concern also helped shape the final treatment configuration. By choosing a site removed from residential neighbourhoods, facilities will have fewer social effects. By centralizing the system, the CRD was able to work within the confines of limited siting options and satisfy desire to impact as few neighbourhoods as possible with the placement of treatment facilities.
Environmental Concerns
Environmental concerns are also addressed with this new system configuration. Initially, a distributed wastewater system was chosen in part due to the resource recovery opportunities it might offer. With further research it was found that many of these opportunities were also available using a centralized model. The McLoughlin Option will utilize a brownfield industrial site for the centralized facility. Resource recovery opportunities such as heat, energy, biogas, biosolids and phosphate are included in the plan. The CRD’s philosophy, to improve the wastewater system as opportunities arise, will ensure that this system continues as the option with the lowest cost, the least impact on the environment and residents and the highest possible use of wastewater resources.
Looking into the Future: What effects will a wastewater facility have on the community of Esquimalt?
How will a plant affect Esquimalt after construction?
Truck traffic during construction could be mitigated through the use of barges for excavation and concrete delivery. Once construction of the McLoughlin facility is complete, the facility will have minor impacts on the surrounding community. Strict odour and noise controls will ensure that noise and odour are reduced to acceptable levels beyond the property line. Truck traffic will be limited to occasional trucks for treatment supply delivery and approximately one truck per week to carry
grit and screenings from Macaulay Point. Sludge will not be trucked.
Core Area Future Growth
A further benefit of the McLoughlin Option will be the flexibility it will provide for the Core Area into the future. Research has shown us the benefits of both distributed and centralized treatment systems. With the submission of Amendment 8, we are poised to be able to take advantage of the benefits of both systems; a centralized treatment facility will serve the Core Area until at least 2030. As the regional population grows, additional facilities in other areas, such as the West Shore, can be considered, leaving room for distributed treatment that will increase resource recovery opportunities and revenues in the years to come.
Site Restrictions at McLoughlin Point
With system design optimization, McLoughlin Point is a suitable site for a centralized facility and will serve the Core Area until 2030 if our population continues to grow at the projected rate. A number of innovations, including locating grit screening facilities and biosolids processing off site, allow treatment facilities to be located on the McLoughlin Point site.
